Media publishes Wysocki’s Letter to the Editor about including the arts in long-range city planning

In a Letter to the Editor published on April 30 on ljworld.com, Artful Marketing’s president, John Wysocki, took issue with a recent Journal-World editorial, Planning vision. While Wysocki agreed that it would be useful to identify a ‘broad vision for the future of Lawrence’ as part of any long-range city planning process, he noted that the editorial failed to include any mention of the arts in such a vision.

Here’s the full text of the letter, which was published with the title, Arts vision:

‘I agree with the World Co.’s recent “Planning vision” editorial that “Setting a broad vision for the future of Lawrence could be a useful part of the long-range planning process.” However, while many aspects of such a vision were alluded to in the editorial, one aspect of Lawrence’s rich cultural heritage that was not mentioned was the town’s thriving arts community. This seems to be a rather curious oversight since — as I’ve recently commended them online for doing so — the World Co. has been giving a lot of press to the arts lately and, in particular, to the city’s so-called Cultural District. If and when Horizon 2020 [Lawrence’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan] is updated and/or replaced with a more appropriate planning document, I hope the arts are included as an integral part of the broad vision for Lawrence’s future.

As an aside, it might be useful to note that the editorial unfairly characterized a potential new Horizon 2020-style multiyear process as “grueling.” I was involved in Horizon 2020 and participated in one of its subcommittees to do with quality of life issues, and it was one of the most interesting and enlightening community-focused processes I have had the good fortune to be involved in. Such a process, by its very nature, was extensive in nature but everyone who participated was committed to the process. Grueling, no. Great, yes!’